GRASP Lab Profile: Feifei Qian — How a robotics researcher transforms obstacles into opportunities

This video was published on the GRASP Youtube page.

GRASP lab fosters the development of inspiring leaders in cutting-edge robotics research. Feifei Qian was a postdoctoral researcher with Kod*lab, a research group within the GRASP Lab at Penn Engineering from 2015 to 2019. During this time, Feifei developed a framework that allows robots to view obstacles or disturbances as opportunities, and use their legs as “disturbance selectors” to choose which disturbance to keep and which to skip. She worked with geomorphologists and aeolian scientists to better understand desertification and used robots to sense and learn about the environment. In Summer 2017, Feifei participated as a mentor in the GRASP Lab’s Research Experience for Middle School Teachers. She gained a sense of responsibility to inform people’s perception of robotics and the future of robotics. Feifei strongly believes anyone can do research if they have curiosity and perseverance. In Spring 2020, Feifei started as Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California.

Watch the full video here!